Gilmer County Planning & Zoning

It's been a while since a post has been shared from our page - alot has changed at Planning & Zoning since late 2017. The personnel has completely changed - along with several requirements in permitting - since October of 2018 we have been requiring E&S (Erosion & Sedimentation) plans along with Teritary Pernits through Georgia EPD for any new residential permits in Common Developments (Subdivisions) approved 8/1/2000 and forward - this requirement stemmed from a requirement handed down to Gilmer County Planning & Zoning from Georgia EPD themselves.
It is the desire of this office to be as much help to our fellow citizens when the need to obtain permits, rezonings, variances, etc.arises - please call or come by and we will assist in whatever way we can.
Karen Henson - Director

Gilmer County Planning & Zoning has joined facebook as another avenue to help us get useful information to our residents. Our department covers land development, building permits and inspections, business license, alcohol license, plat review and re-zonings and variance request. Building permitting and inspections is a large part of what we do. The reason we permit new construction and perform inspections in Gilmer County is liste below.

The purpose of the codes are to provide minimum standards to safeguard life or limb, health, property and public welfare by regulating and controlling the design, construction, quality of materials, use and occupancy, location and maintenance of all buildings and structures through a program of permitting, plan review, inspection and enforcement.

Other things to consider about building to meet the minimum codes are that construction codes also provide key benefits for contractors. When everything is built up to code, they are more likely to offer residents a safe premises. They are also less likely to face complaints about faulty systems or hazardous situations if they have followed the federal, state and local building codes. When the codes are followed, buyers can rest assured that a building will meet its intended purpose.

In cases where the building code is disregarded, the property owner may face a higher risk of premises liability. If a person was harmed due to the negligence of an owner who failed to keep a building up to code, they may be responsible for damages sustained in a civil suit. An attorney may able to gather information concerning the relevant state laws and necessary documentation to prove potential fault.

Before commencing construction, repair or making any major alterations, please confer with Gilmer County Planning & Zoning at 706-635-3406 to make certain that the project conforms to current building and zoning codes and that the proper permits are obtained. If you are not sure if the project you are planning requires a permit, please call us to make sure.

In the future, we will try to provide any information on this page that we feel will be helpful and useful to our residents.

Erosion & Sediment Certification Courses
Sign ups can be done at the following web address: https://www.erosiontraining.com/NPDES_Courses.html

Our classes are held at the Ellijay Water and Sewer Authority and are as follows:

Wednesday, October 25 Level 1A (Blue Card 1A) class-full day 8am - 5pm.
Thursday, October 26 & Friday, October 27 (Red Card 2B) class-full day 8am – 5pm on Thursday and half day Friday 8am – 12pm on Friday (must be there both days)
Friday, October 27 (Recertification of Blue and Red Card) class – 2pm – 6pm

NPDES Courses Check out https://www.erosiontraining.com! NPDES Training Courses, Georgia Erosion training, Erosion and Sediment Control Training for GASWCC Certification

Welcome to Gilmer County Planning and Zoning! Our new page will allow us to keep everyone interested up to date on all new building codes and county ordinances. Stay tuned for more information!